/aq/ - Aquarium General - Lepomis Masterrace Edition

Is it poor form to "get rid" of an entire school of fish if I'm bored of them? I'm not killing them or anything, one of the LFS's in town (the shittier one) will take back just about any fish. I wanna get rid of my school of 13 Neon Tetras. Why I'm bored of them should be obvious.

What should I replace them with? I have a school of 8 Gold Barbs in the tank + 3 Otos. I was thinking about throwing a GBR in as a centerpiece fish. Any suggestions? I want either one large-schooling fish like the tetras that are being replace, or at least two other species of schooling fish that can either school together or require less members to school.

Running a "tall" 60 Gallon dirted tank.

>>1998165
Anyone with experiences on keeping Lepomis?
They're an invasive species in Europe, so I could get some basically for free and they look really nice.

>>1998171
Those look like what I call Bluegill.
Used to be in just about every pond around when I was a kid.

>>1998181
The OP image is a Pumpkinseed, but both them and Bluegill are Lempomis, and those two species plus Redear Sunfish are closely related enough that they pretty much universally school together in the wild

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>>1998185
Actually here's a neat example.

The near fish is a Pumpkinseed
The middle fish is either a Green Sunfish or an oddly shaped Bluegill
The far fish is a Bluegill

>>1998170
Fish are property. Objects that have special needs. There is nothin wrong with getting rid of fish you are bored with. They aren't like parrots that can get attached to owners and suffer mental disorders.

I'm bored of my ember tetras. They just suck. My harlequins are more interesting. Trying to sell my school.

>>1998170
Just type "fish" on craigslist...
(at least where I live) there are lots of fish for sale/rehoming. You're not alone.

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Am I the only one who gets tired of people saying "Plecostomus" instead of just Pleco?

>>1998170
Most tetras are pretty boring. They just exist to swim away from shit that looks dangerous. Rosy, pristella, and black phantom tetras are a bit more interesting, but they're much nicer to look at. Same for most rasbora species. Cross banded and celestial pearl danios are nice. If you can find sparkling, croaking, chocolate, or licorice gourami, they're not schooling, but they are gregarious, and a lot more personable than other schoolers.

>>1998243
As long as it's not "algae eater" or "sucker fish," I'm fine with it.

>>1998165
I've been keeping a dollar sunfish since July, and she's been growing fairly nicely. She's an aquacultured fish, so it wasn't too long to get her used to eating Hikari carnivore pellets.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ovnMMSQYfaekuqG-GWx5g

>>1998171
You should check out NANFA's forum. You can get plenty of information on North American fish there.

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Anyone know what's wrong with my firemouth? I got him from the store yesterday along with 4 other, I noticed his lips were swollen right from the start and it's getting worse.
He's behaving and eating perfectly, the water parameters are all fine as well.
The other fish seem to be fine.

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does /an/ know what this fish is? I got it from my neighbor who just had it in a bowl.
it's like an inch long and in a big tank with only a 5 inch catfish and some minnows.

I wanna get it some friends cause he's an active little guy, but idk what it is.

>>1998171
I had a friend that kept longear sunfish. They're pretty tough fish in hardiness and temperament. Probably the most colorful of the Lepomis.

>>1998171
yea we call them brim, I had one for a while until it jumped out the tank. they're hardy as shit, you won't kill it easily. in a 50gal they do fine. just keep a lid on the tank.

>>1998398
Looks like some cory, maybe a peppered.
They need groups of 5+.

>>1998416
thats exactly what that is. thanks.
could I get some other type of cory or should they all be peppered?

>>1998421
You can mix and match, but they should be similar in size. For example, emerald cories are cories, but they grow to twice as large.

However, they will be happier with the same types, which I would go for anyway since peppered cories are much more hardy than other types and can even be used in coldwater tanks.

>>1998276
>They just exist to swim away from shit that looks dangerous
I guess that's why I've had to return three cichlids because my psycopathic cardinal tetras keep (trying to) nipping their fins off.

Hey /aq/, I have a 10 gal tank setup with 3 guppies. I set it up about 4 weeks ago, and I've been doing a 50% water change once a week. My question as follows: Every time I do a water change, the water gets super cloudy white until its almost opaque. Within 24 hours its totally clear again - I'm confused - what is this?

Also am I cool to keep a couple of cherry shrimp with guppies?

>>1998398
Whatever it is, it's angry as fuck.

>>1998517
The fresh water is pouring into the tank in such a way as to disturb the substrate/fish shit laying all over everything.

Try slowly adding it in, not simply dumping it in.

>>1998520
I thought this originally, but the water doesn't get cloudy for about 6-8 hours after a change, gets progressively worse and then all of a sudden gets clear again - any other ideas? Not saying you're wrong but it seems to delayed to be that

>>1998277
Hell, I don't mind "sucker fish", but plecostomus is just too damn long for a fish that does basically nothing. I get tired just saying it.

>>1998398
some type of cory cat.

>>1998517
>>1998524
Algae or bacterial bloom?

>>1998454
I've had insane tetras too.
I think it happens when you keep just tetras in a tank for a long while. No predators means they lose their fear instincts or something.

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All dem shrimp babies

:3

>>1998517
Bacterial blooms are normal in new tank setups

>>1998517
I have ghosts with my three guppies and they don't bother them, they will however eat your fry so if you want babbys get a mesh breeder or set up a nursery tank. You really want to do the nt because they will quicky take over their tiny underwater home.

>>1998714
I had a bunch of rcs a while back, I think my platy and swordtail ate them. I moved a big stump a few days ago, and there are a couple left and babbies! Super happy, I need to put down more ground cover so they'll come out!

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Why does fishkeeping feels so rewarding /aq/?

>got an apple snail the size of a coin almost a year ago
>today she is literally apple sized, with a shapely shell, gorgeous, very long feelers
>also gotten a catfish the same time, it was less than a centimeter in length
>now he's almost 13 centimeters long, with strong armor,and muscular body
>he's sleeping the day away, but by night you can hear huge splashes as he comes up for air, then scratching noises as he digs up sand for food
>also bought some livebearers, three months ago, they too were pretty small
>now they are huge, with long flowing fins, bursting with health

I'm just so proud of them ;_;

>>1998779
i dunno but wikipedia for apple snails says something about superfamily and that is adorable

>>1998779
>Bought just two RCS because new to fishkeeping
>Two months later a dozen RCS babies
>tfw life finds a way

>>1998812
It's a classification anon. We humans too have a superfamily, it's the hominoidea. The lesser apes (gibbons) and the great apes (gorillas,orangutans, and us) belong in this group.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnXmGscq7OE

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>>1998779
It is pretty awesome.

>Bolivian rams breed for first time
>Usually they fuck it up and eat the eggs
>Mine don't
>2 days in now and the only problem I can see is the male
>lazy fuck doesn't do any of the fanning
>he could be ruining the relationship

I hope they work it out but most rams mess up the first few tries.
Vid related, the female over the eggs and the male being useless

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I'm running down on algae wafers.

Any suggestions? The north fin kelp wafers read really nice for ingredients... but I don't know if my pleco & clown loaches would go for that over the algae ones. Am I just over thinking this?

>>1998859
aww, they look cute anon. hopefully the male will get his shit together

Btw, is that a real tree stump in there?

>>1998866
How the hell did you get that figure to stay down there?

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>>1998867
Thanks. Its a real piece I got from the LFS, its not that big and annoyingly has been cut at the top that looks really unnatural.

Heres them preparing the spawn site. The female really didn't like those plants, guess it explains why they didn't use that spot.

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r8 my setup

Also any reason why the "electric blue" ram I got yesterday just hides everywhere and never comes out? I read that they were aggressive feeders but this guy hasnt bothered to feed once.

>>1999024
>Also any reason why the "electric blue" ram I got yesterday just hides everywhere and never comes out?
>I got yesterday
You answered your own question. Give him a few days. And get a few more otos. They're a lot more fun in larger groups.

>>1998930
I buried the base.

The fig is just kind of sitting on the base, it's not glued or anything.

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>>1999024
>Mixing fish from different hemispheres

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GHOST FISH

>Set up 55G three weeks ago
>go to auction and buy plants two weeks ago
>throw in some RCS from my own tanks last week
>see a goddamn corydora swimming around today
>I didn't put fish in the tank yet

What the hell /aq/? The only corys I have currently are c. pygmaeus This definitely isn't one of them. My guess is it somehow survived an entire day bagged with a plant and enough water to stay alive, and got into the tank when I planted it 2 weeks ago.

Pic related is the fish in question. That's the clearest pic I could get. It's about 1/2 inch long and mostly clear. What species is it? The stripe through its eye looks like arcuatus, but I'm not much of a corydoras expert.

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>>1999174
Here's another potato pic after it came a bit closer to the glass.

>>1999120
Kek, such a purist... i have kuhlis in a similar setup.

>>1998367
Has he been fighting?

My guess is he has and is just wounded a bit.

>>1999182
Goatfish

>>1999182
What the hell?

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>>1999182
Baby horse face loach?

>>1999120
I got a gourami with tetras and mollies. No one cares

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Hey guys, Complete new fag here. I've been lurking for a while. I want my new tank to have a pictus catfish. My questions are as follow. Is 50-60 gallon big enough for him? what are some nice plants for him to hide in. Also what fish will play nice with him in the tank.

>>1999251
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/pimelodus-pictus/

>Given its active nature it really shouldn’t be kept in tanks measuring less than 48″ x 18″ x 18″ (120cm x 45cm x 45cm) – 243 litres.

>>1999256
Alright thanks

>>1999220
Damn, that's actually quite similar in coloration.

After a little more time on Google images, I found this, specifically the second pic: http://www.aqualifeleyland.co.uk/goldline.html
It appears to be a juvenile c. aeneus, though I can't tell which color morph yet. I wonder if there were eggs on some of my plants? Would a cory grow to 1/2 inch in 2 weeks?

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This is the best thing i have ever bought.

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>>1999120
>Mixing fish from different hemispheres
I know, right. I feel terribly ashamed for not checking on, where some of my plants came from, so I'm pretty sure next to my amazonian swords there are some...chinese aquatic plants.
It's humiliating! I'd throw them out, but they are growing so nice..I'd feel terrible getting rid of them. I just wanted a South-American biome..

How difficult are saltwater tanks to maintain?

Also, Armano Shrimp alright by themselves, or do they need friends? I was thinking of getting a tank partner for my betta. I kind of want to get a Ghost Shrimp, but I think I need some more plants for places to hide.

>>1999272
> Satlwater
It's hard mode my friend. Everything has to be spot on and that means lots of filtration, equipment, checking and regulation. On top of it all you get the same problems and risks as with freshwater only with more parasites and fish that are more expensive and die easier. I did saltwater keeping back in high school. It's a labor of love (and lots of money) or you just don't do it.

> Shrimps!
How big is the tank? Filtration? If it's a 5 gallon, you can easily have 5 shrimp plus the beta no problems as they're tiny and don't make much waste. More plants are nice, but remember that shrimp are tiny and prefer moss over plants.

Also it's not the best idea due to pH and the fact that shrimp do better in more mineral-laden water than bettas do. Corycats are a better option if you have the tank space.

My betta has started laying on the bottom and hiding under plant leaves. The fins and gills look fine and I don't see any spots, clouding or other signs of being sick, but he's not acting right. He is eating but not as much as usual.

Is my fish sick? What do?

>>1999276
Dawg its colder this time of year. They chill. My gourami does the same things

New betta owner here, looking for a bit of help on one of my tanks. I've had it for about 3-4 weeks now, and everything has been going pretty smoothly. However, none of my plants seem to be doing very well. I have a pond lily bulb and water onion that PetSmart sold me, as well as a java fern and some other kind of sword plant that I was told would work in a low-light tank. Anubias I think?
The pond lily bulb sprouted well and grows at a pretty fast rate, but the leaves are all brown and yellow. The java fern also seems to have little spots of brown on the tips and isn't growing at all from what I can tell. The sword plant also isn't growing, even though I was told it would grow really quickly.
I've got live sand as a substrate, and I've added some Seachem Flourish and API CO2 additive. Neither seemed to have any effect over a two-week period after adding in about .5 mL after a water change.
Right now it's just a female betta in the tank with a nerite snail. Temp is at 76 degrees. The tank itself is a National Geographic 2.5G kit with an included filter and LED light.
What am I doing wrong?

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>>1999289
Forgot picture.

>>1999290
To be honest, that looks really cramped.

I got a Top Fin waterfall filter for my Betta tank last night. It's a five gallon tank. It seems like the current the filter is causing is way too strong for him.

He gets pushed around quite easily from the water pouring in over the top, and I saw him swim up to next to the intake pump and get sucked up along the side. I gave him a second to free himself, but I just turned off the pump to let him swim away before he got hurt.

Is there anyway I can turn down the intake of the filter? I don't see anything to change the flow.

>>1999295
Put a sponge on the inside of the filter intake, and possibly glue one to the outside of the intake. That way the suction will be somewhat less, and if he does get stuck to it he should be able to free himself pretty easily.

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>>1999295
>>1999295
Actually, give him time and he'll adjust to the flow. Betas that aren't raised in tanks tend to need to learn to swim well once put in a tank. I had the same issue and it corrected itself in a couple weeks. Also make sure you have decorations to help break the waterflow. Those "tower" decorations from Petco work nicely if you're not using plants. Pic related.

If you do use sponges, get the big, coarse "filter sponges" from the pet shop and cut them down to size. Do NOT glue them on as then you can't replace or clean them out (and you WILL need to do that) and put it over the outside of the intake. You can either cut them so they can fit on or use plastic covered tie wraps or fishing line to hold one one.

>>1999289
Too much plants, not enough light. Also you don't need to dose your tank as that's not the issue.

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>>1999291
*snort*
That's a really nice way of saying if that betta dares to fart in that tank he'll die of methane poisoning.
>>1999290
Take that ridiculous white stone out anon. Not only does it take up half the space in the aquarium, but it's quite hideous.

Is it true you can't have your aquarium in a room with a window with sunlight?

10 gallon planted tank with just a betta..

Also do snails and algae eaters eat diatoms too?

>>1999290
That's a really pretty betta torture chamber you have there.

Here's a tip: Never buy anything labeled specifically for bettas. And never buy anything "National Geographic" branded.

>>1999324
No, you can keep a tank in a room with sunlight. You just need to make sure that the tank itself isn't being hit by the sunlight.
Direct sunlight on a tank will lead to temperature fluctuations that will stress out the fish, and cause very rapid algae growth.
So keep the tank away from the windows and it should be fine.

>>1999289
First of all, bettas need five gallons, not two and a half. Second, you've got way too much decorations in there. Bettas are pretty sedentary, but they still need room to swim in.
Upgrade to a five gallon tank (bettas prefer wide tanks rather than tall tanks, by the way) and there should be enough water that the filter won't be strong enough to gobble up the little guy.
You might also need to buy proper lights (LED or fluorescent tube), the stock ones you get in kits are rarely powerful enough to grow plants.

>>1999272
Its not too bad, the biggest problem is price. Expensive.

>>1999276

Is your filtration flow too strong?

>>1999328
>First of all, bettas need five gallons, not two and a half.

No, they dont NEED five gallons or more. That size is offered as a luxury for snobs like us.

>>1999333
And a human can subsist on one sandwich every three days, but it's still not a lifestyle that offers great health, happiness, or long life.

>>1999326
ok , my tank is about 10 feet from my window. but with the blinds open is still getting some light. i don't think the sun hits the window directly, but kinda hits it at an angle.

will that fluctuate the temp?

>>1999334
lol my rule i try to go by is picturing myself as the animal. what would i want if i was in there

>>1999335
If the sunlight hits the tank directly, yes, it will have an effect. How much of one depends on how much light hits the tank. Just a thin strip of light isn't going to do much, but if one whole side is lit...

>>1999337
could i watch the temp throughout the day and see if there is a change?

>>1999338
Obviously.

>>1999341
"urbeeasslee" *mock voice*

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QUESTION ON CLEANING

My 50 gallon tank has fine sand substrate plus lots of wood, branches and leaf litter. It feels very difficult to vacuum up all of the shit on the bottom. Does it really matter if I vacuum it all clean or is the water change itself good enough?

Felt so much easier with gravel, since I could press the siphon into the gravel and all the gunk would be sipped up. Can't do that with sand. So much wood blocking surfaces too so can't get to some areas unless I take out all of my decor..

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alright /an/ I just got my hands on a 100 gallon tank for free so im starting a new fresh water tank for my man cave. I'm doing a lot of new stuff ive never done. like real plants inside the tank. The thing is I really want a lot of variety in my tank with at least some action going on day or night. Im having trouble with the kinds of fish that would mesh well together. so some suggestions would be nice. Id also like to throw some shrimp and snails in as well. like oic related.

>>1999358
Deal with it(tm).

My method is to siphon it into a bucket, ignoring the sand/small rocks that make it into the bucket at this stage.

I'm just careful when dumping the bucket to not dump the sand down the drain. Then when enough sand has built up in the bucket for me to care, I'll wash the sand, let it dry, then put it back into the aquarium.

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>>1999024
Update on the Ram. Apparently this dumbass managed to get himself wedged behind a rock and fucking died. This is how I found him this morning. Are Rams normally this stupid or did I get a retard fish?

>>1999421
Clown loaches and ciclids do that too

>>1999358
Doesn't matter. I had a tank with sand substrate for years, at first I too thought that one should vacuum it, but nowadays I can't be arsed only like once or twice every year, as it is simply not needed. If you have aquatic plants that is. The waste just turns into ammonia, then nitrate and voilá, you've got your plant food. Just leave that shit alone, water change is more than enough.

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I recently adopted this 7.5 inch weather loach from my LFS. I only have him and two small Goldens in a 40 gallon.

His barbels are fine but he came with a white spot on his nose. The guy at the fish store said he has always had it. I feel like it might be from digging through gravel. Should I switch to sand or a more fine gravel? I know it's blurry but you can see the white patch on his nose.

>>1999295
>>1999315
Bettas aren't really from high-current habitats. They inhabit ponds, swamps, backwaters and ditches in the wild. They're not comfortable with high flow like that.

>>1999290
That's not Anubias, it's almost certainly some Echinodorus species. And Echinodorus are generally high to medium light plants. They just withstand dormancy in low light well. I don't know what the fuck a "water onion" is. Maybe a Crinum? Java Fern is a true low light plant and it's from the same area as the Betta. When I design Betta tanks I always use Java Fern and Java Moss. They're native to Bettas' ranges and they're low-light plants. Most aquarium plants require a LOT more light than pet stores tell you they do. Many of these plants are from ponds and open, full sun environments and will just languish in the typical lighting of a low-tech fish tank. And no, pitching a bunch of chemicals into the water won't change that. Light is the primary nutrient source for plants.

>>1999554
their natural habitat doesn't matter. the bettas you see in fish stores are not like wild bettas.

>>1999421
I've had a Betta do that. Fish are pretty retarded.

>>1999578
Of course it matters, you idiot. Nobody bred Bettas for fast waters. In fact, the complete opposite is the case. If you're going to argue anything like that you'd be arguing that you should have totally still water in tiny tanks, because that's what they've been selectively bred for. Anabantids are air-breathers for a reason. Literally everything about their biology and anatomy is designed for stillwater living.

>>1999554
>>1999584
Bettas prefer fairly stagnant waters, but they will get used to aquariums with some water movement too.
It's mostly a matter of them learning the calmer spots, so they know where to go to hide from the current when they need to relax.

>>1999584
I'm saying wild bettas can survive just fine in fast water but have been bred so they can't.

you're the idiot here, you can't read and instead project your own anticipated counter-arguments on others.

how about you think before you speak and make the world a better place?

Hey pals, I've been thinking about getting a 5 or 10 gallon tank and putting some guppies and RCS in it and feed the babies to my angelfish for livefood. Has anyone ever done this before good idea or no?

And how many angelfish can I put in a 36g? Some people say 2 others say 6

>>1999598
I would make the smaller tank shrimp only and keep the guppies with the angel fish after you've quarantine them. That way you won't have to worry about guppies destroying your shrimp population.

So my angelfish spawned, how do I care for the things when they hatch, if they hatch?

>>1999598
I have a 10 gal with guppies and RCS. I just keep the adults in the big tank and snag the babies as I see them. If they're food anyways you might as well keep em with the angels.

>>1999638
Don't worry, the parents will probably eat the eggs.
Those fucktards.

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Looks like two of my corries were so happy they had some eggs! Actually, when I came home today I caught them going at it again and again pretty much every time I removed or brushed loose the eggs. I'm planning on hatching some of them and feeding the rest to my betas.

I also tried a little tinkering to see how cories behave when spawning,

She seemed to breed with all males in the tank at least once, but she did have a favorite I'll call her "mate". He is getting sort of red on the underside from all the action but keeps on going. Death by snu-snu unlikely. Her least favorite is the smallest male albino (easy to guess due to size) but she still bred with him anyway. He really, REALLY wanted to breed with her and kept trying over and over and over again. Talk about persistent! Get bigger, lil guy, and be an inspiration to 4chan. Either way the clutches were bigger with her favored male than with the other males.

I caught the female still carrying fertilized eggs in her back fins and put her into a cup with smooth sides like the tank and she refused to lay eggs! She only would lay her eggs down once back in the tank with her mate. She also had a favorite corner and would re-lay eggs there over and over.

When I removed her mate she stopped looking for males to court until I put him back again. It didn't matter that there were other eligible males around. While removed her mate franticly tried to find a way back to her. When put back in they immediately found each other and rested side by side.

So I have found...
> Corries breed when the water turns cooler
> One female needs at least 3+ males to breed
> She will only breed if her favored male is around.
> She'll breed with pretty much everyone compatible, but mostly her favored male.
> She'll just clutch her eggs until she gets to her favorite spot and likes having her mate around when laying
> if you remove the eggs from her favorite spot, she'll reuse it faster than if you don't.

Now I'm really confused. I've done a bit more research on planted tanks, and there seems to be so much conflicting information. The "old" way to determine what lighting you need was Watts/gallon while factoring in the temperature of the bulbs, but now it seems that I need a $350 PAR reader or something instead?
Either way, I'm having a hard time finding lights of any kind for a smaller tank. I'm planning on ditching the Nat Geo tank for a standard 2.5g rectangle tank (which should be large enough for a small female betta?), but I'm still wondering a few things:
1) How necessary is a hood? I understand that bettas can jump, but I don't know how to attach a clip-on light to a tank if it has a glass top.
2) What kind of lights are there for small tanks? All I can find are recommendations for either Finnex or a desk lamp, and while Finnex looks really nice it also looks expensive and hard to find.
3) If I were to stick with the Nat Geo tank, mostly because it's cheap, set up, and I like the look of it, are there any lights that I could adhere to the underside of the cover?
4) I should probably just find out more about LEDs in planted aquariums in general. Most LEDs in shops around her don't seem to have wattage ratings, temperatures, or anything other than the number of lights. How do I know if an LED will work?

>>1998243
whats a plecostomus? you mean welfare queen?

>>1998405
i had one jump out in the middle of the night. woke up in the morning, couldn't see him in the tank then found the dumbass behind the hamper. he was gasping and drier than a bone. got him back in the water and he cleared up after about 20 minutes. he never tried it again...

>>1999361
You could get a shit load of platies.

>>1999711
alright, how about a shit load of platies and a moderate amount of catfish?

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>>1999702
What's that supposed to mean?

>>1999681
I use a cfl bulb in a clamp-on work light. you can also lay it flat across a glass top. I think you can put LEDs in the top you have now. You can read up on lighting here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/
You don't need a PAR reader unless you need to know exactly how much light you have. You can find PAR values on most lights, just remember that it's dependent on the depth of the tank as well as the angle of the light.

I wouldn't bother getting another tank unless you decided to go larger.

>>1999725
That plecos are useless. They are just inefficient shit factories.

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>>1999361
Everyone loves corydoras and corydoras love everyone. They also tend to be active all day and all night, they actually work great as clean-up crew, and they come in many colors and patterns. Just make sure you pick a sand substrate that isn't sharp (no floramax for you) and you'll be fine. I've heard that very fine or ultra fine grit sandblasting sand is smooth enough for corries and cheap enough to cover a 100 gallon without costing an arm and a leg. Smoother is always better.

That said, you can also play with freshwater eels. They're mostly night critters, but if you give them a clear tube to "hide" in they usually will hide there so you can look at them. Same needs as corries for the most part, they just get bigger and can be reclusive.

Don't do any livebearers as they'll crowd a tank (unless you want to also stock fish to eat their fry). Either way they produce a ton of waste. So no guppies, mollies and the like.

Smaller schooling fish are dazzling in a huge tank. Dannios, tetras and minnows are good picks that generally work with everything. Just avoid anything that can eat them. Rule of thumb: if it fits in a fish's mouth, it will be eaten.

Plants you say? Get assassin snails as you're probably also getting a ton of ramshorn hitchikers along the way. Assassin snails eat other snails! They also breed pretty slowly in comparison to most snails and prefer fresh meat over plants which will help your plants establish.

Have you considered aquascaping? The Japanese have made beautiful things these days. Just make sure you plant only actual aquatics: some plants like Star Moss, Lucky bamboo and Water Onion only survive underwater for a little while and need a second mostly air "resting tank" to be cycled out and recover. Pic related: an award winning tank made of aquatic moss, driftwood and plants to mimic a rainforest.More details at this link:
http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2013/02/15/aga-aquascape-winners-2012/

>>1999737
what about floating Moss, a friend of mine said they're nice to have for catfish, and I think it could look pretty cool, and particularly sturdy ones. also I like you suggestions and I'll probably look into those for the tank as well. how would something like a Blue knight lobster or a larger shrimp do with those guys?

>>1999742
>>1999737
not floating moss, I meant floating plants in general.

>>1999358
>animal hide on the wall

Let me suck your dick.

>>1999491
I'd switch, but only if you can afford it. How much does it cost in your area?

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>>1999373
Thats quite a good idea. Thank you.

>>1999452
I have a few plants but not a lot. Good to hear it wont have devastating effects on my tank to not clean it all up all the time though. I did a good clean today anyway by removing all of the wood and carefully vacuuming up the detritus.


>>1999746
I shot that animal myself. First deer. 6 months worth of meat. Quite proud of it.

Oh, and Albino corycats are super cute.

>>1999737
>Have you considered aquascaping? The Japanese have made beautiful things these days.
Except the person who made that aquascape is Chinese and there isn't a single Japanese person on that list.

how is the walstad method of using potting soil topped with another substrate for live plants? does anyone in this thread do that?

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>>1999742

Floating plants WILL block your light so don't use them if you're planning on anything planted in the substrate or don't want to also try to light from the sides. You probably don't want to light from the sides as that will make algae spots and cause the tank to be harder to clean.

Floating plants have massive roots structure that float in the water as long as they're not lilies or lotus. This does provide hiding space for fish even if it'll all be brown, white and/or black. Pic related. If you'd rather cover the bottom in non-living ornaments they can sap up quite a bit of waste from the water.

Sadly, many plants like this also reproduce really, really fast and can crowd out a tank and be nearly impossible to kill off. Things like duckweed, frogbit, water lettuce and Water Hycanith all spring to mind. Yep, they all float and many people consider them weeds. Also many floating plants also rise above the water line so a top on your tank will be difficult or impossible.

In short, floating plants are best for ponds in my opinion.


Shrimp, crayfish, crabs and lobsters are predators. Anything that can fit in their claws can and will become dinner. It's probably a bad idea to stock larger predators unless you are also stocking larger fish (with small mouths!) they won't eat which will mean less variety in the tank so it's not what you're going for.

All of the fish I suggested are on the small side (mostly under 3 inches depending on breed) and meant as schooling or shoaling fish that look best in numbers in order to give variety. You could get away with tiny shrimps possibly like the Blue Dream, Cherry or Bumblebee, though bear in mind the water hardness, minerals and PH needed to keep shrimp is usually more involved than to keep other fish and they will get lost in the foliage in a big tank. If the fish spawn the fry will most likely be eaten by them, take that as you will.

>>1999825
Ah I see, so they are pretty much out. as for the shrimp, I guess I can do smaller ones. I was planning on having some sort of algae eater anyway. just to get rid of any remaining algae i have in the tank. last two questions. Im planning on using the pot soil method for planting, is there a more proffered method? I hear it cuts down maintenance a fair bit. Also where should the pump exit be located, at the top or bottom of the tank? I've never had a tank this hefty. lastly, how long should cycling take, im unsure if it correlates with tank size.

>>1999586
>>1999588
Humans can live just fine half submerged in a swamp environment. Sure they get a little wrinkly, but they just find the drier parts of the tank and they're fine.

You can't hide from current, dumbasses, unless you have some dead area in the tank (most of you don't) and Bettas DO NOT like current.

>>1999737
I usually hate the Nature Aquarium World aesthetic, but that false rainforest motif is pretty neat.

>>1999837
I guess that's why my betta will swim around in the high-current areas all day, and then go back to the area shaded by the driftwood and some plants into being calm when he feels like sleeping.

>>1999828
> Algae eater
Avoid the "Chinese algae eater" as they really eat the slime coating off of other fish and not actually algae. They're basically parasitic. Also Plecos aren't great at eating algae. On the bright side, a well-planted tank won't have much algae and those magnetic algae cleaners are pretty easy to use or you can just use a rag and clean it off by hand like cleaning a window.

As you have the room, try shooting for several inches of layered soils/sands if you want to add potting soil and put your pretty sand on top in a layer at least an inch deep. Honestly, you don't really need potting soil or enhanced anything to grow most plants (especially mosses) and using too much fertilizer can and will kill your fish. Too little light tends to be the biggest plant killer, not low fertilizer or low Co2. Using things that aren't sand or gravel can also mess up your PH, which is why sand is so popular for plants. More details on soil layering and aquairum soil:
http://aquaticplants.animal-world.com/PlantSubstrates.htm
http://pets.thenest.com/make-own-aquarium-soil-12198.html

All plants need some maintenance, mostly just trimming dead leaves with a small pair of shears now and then or replanting anything that is kicked loose from the dirt. It's not too much work normally, especially if you pick plants that do not get bigger than your tank.

Cycling typically takes a couple weeks regardless of tank size. As you're thinking of using fertilized soil on top of cycling, try a fishless cycle instead and use either cycle-starting bottles from your pet shop or some raw shrimp (the kind you eat) to kick start it. Make sure you buy testing supplies that measure PH, nitrates, nitrites and ammonia so you can monitor and see when things are ready for the fish.

Once things look ready, do a couple water changes (weekly, no more than 50%) to lower the fertilizers in the water to help assure the fish will be OK. If you wouldn't drink the water the fish won't be happy.

>>1999841
Probably depends on what each of you considers "high-current."

I've dropped male bettas into my reef tank before, they get blown around like a trash bag in a tornado. Reef tanks have some pretty serious currents though.

>>1999837
Different poster, but the current in a 5 gallon with a waterfall isn't exactly "high current" like a river. It's more like "enough to disturb the sand" at best. Even then if the tank is planted and decorated that will lower the current and give lots of slower areas for the betta to swim comfortably in.

Bettas can be good swimmers, however, getting good at swimming means building muscle and muscle isn't something most betas had the chance to build in those tiny cups. A healthy normal male beta in a heated tank should be able to handle gentle current once he builds his muscles up. If he doesn't get there then it means something is wrong with him.

Wild bettas (and sometimes pet ones let loose in the wild) often live in lakes, rice paddies and small, slow streams. All of these do have currents in them. Bodies of water have current generated by heat, rain, water flowing in and evaporation. Rice paddies have currents generated by the same thing plus irrigation. Streams are streams. Yes, bettas can swim. They aren't the fastest with those big fins, but they aren't helpless.

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>>1999902
their fins aren't actually that big in the wild. They can swim fine.

It's the ones we've bred with tons of fin that have problems.

>>1999888
Thanks man, you've been incredibly helpful. The very last part has to do with cycling itself, I seem to be retarded at it. or at least I think I am. On all my old tanks its taken me 3-4 weeks to get things proper, is that proper time? I always seem to barely get a cycle going. Any tips for an easy cycle. On my last tanks I did a cycle start with fish in it. They did just fine but it was extremely nerve racking the entire time.

>>1999910
>On all my old tanks its taken me 3-4 weeks to get things proper, is that proper time?
that's about half the time needed.
6-8 weeks is normal for cycling.

>>1999915
So I did do something wrong, I live in a constantly warm place if that shed any more light on the matter. My fish lasted a long time, and most are still alive im my buddies tanks. Once the fish were in there I didn't see any ammonia, and the fish where happy. I've never been confidant with cycling, and I want to be sure I get it 100% right this time.

>>1999923
by "see" i mean I did use a tester.

>>1999923
if your fish survived in good health you did just fine.

>>1999923
If it tests "right" and stays "right" it's right! Cycling time can vary depending on things like temperature, bio load, and if anything is added to help things along. Bacteria generally grows after where it's warm.

>>1999828
For algae eating, look into amano shrimp. They're very friendly, pretty brave for a shrimp, and they do an excellent job keeping the tank clean. They don't just take care of the glass like plecos or nerite snails, but they'll eat algae off of decorations and plants too. I've even known mine to climb into my filter outlet to get rid of the brown gunk that grows there.

>>1999925
>>1999931
Alright, Last question and I'll leave you guys alone. I should be see a constant nitrate or nitrite, and essentially zero ammonia in the tank in fishless cycling before adding fish right? all i know i have to add them little by little, but i cant find a number on just how many for a 100 gallon tank.

>>1999937
thanks for the tip man, im compiling all this information into a word doc for when Im fully ready to keep get this tank going.

>>1999948
you should see 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 20-40 nitrate. At that point you do a 50% water change and add fish. Several. Probably like ten for a 100g to start.

assuming freshwater. If you're cycling saltwater cut the number of fish in half.

>>1999953
Alright anons, thanks so much for the help. I'll be back in a month or 2 to show the tank in its full glory.

>>1999957
good luck, can't wait to see it.
and ask all the questions you want. Check back often in case I've given bad advice or someone else has more to offer.

>>1999960
alright anon, it'll be the prettiest, mossiest, leafiest piece of shit you ever did see. cheers to you and everyone else in this thread.

>>1999960
fuck me one last question. Is a VHO florescent light the proper one need for 100 gallons.

are skunks good pets??????

>>1999982
Skunk Loaches? They're jerks imo

>>1999815
Dirt is great for planted tanks. The Walstad method is a little more involved than just using soil. I've never done a Walstad tank, but I have used dirt and my plants have grown like mad.

I'm not familiar with soil, what should I look for when I'm looking to buy for the tank

>>2000039
>>2000041
that was meant for you, sorry long night.

>>2000041
Most people go with Miracle Gro Organic Potting Soil. Anything that doesn't contain fertilizers is fine.

alright guys, ive started to write a design document (i like to do them). It has the basic set up to the tank, and i wanted to show you guys. just tell me if im retarded.

Tank Objective: Have variety and lots of activity, a nice showpiece.
Tank assembly (looking for heater and pump suggestions) I don't know if i need a heater if I live in the caribbean. Ive only ever had tanks with fancy goldies before they didn't need them.
Light:VHO fluorescent
100 gallon tank.
few inches of potting soil, and a few of fancy sand.
debris for fish to hide in.
Heater: suggestions?
Pump: suggestions?


Animals and plants.(potential)
plants
dwarf baby tears
moss balls
micro sword
watersprite
cardinal plant
hornwort
cabomba
ludwig needle leaf
Animals (please suggest combos and proper numbers to these, because i'm a huge retard,I’ve never had a tank this big) bottom 4 is the shit I'm gonna have for sure.
5x false julii cory cat
5x panda cory cat
10x neon tetra
5x emperor tetra
5x gold tetra
5x calico platy
5x red platy
Reticulated Hillstream Loach
assassin snails
freshwater clams
bee shrimp

>>2000072
>hornwort
Don't. That shit will clog up your filters and anything you put in it will be coated in the stuff.

>>2000075
noted and removed

>>1999815
I have a Walstad and its fucking great. Its a lot of work and micromanagement for the first 6-8 weeks but after that its like the tank is on autopilot. I went three months without doing a water change, and even when I eventually did it was only to get rid of some tannins.

>>1998165
Hey giys, I was the guy having trouble Sexing my platys. Well I finally figured that they're both males so I went to PetCo and got two females, but I accidentally got one male and one female. Now I think that I might be facilitating a gangbang.

>>2000197
That's not very good. That female is going to be overwhelmed and stressed out from constant fish sex.
You should try to keep twice as many females as males to prevent it.

>>2000202
Im going to trade in the male and get another female, and then keep two females from the births.

Also how can I tell when she's about to give birth?

>>2000225
She'll get big and fat.

>>2000075
>>2000078
I think he means Duckweed. Hornwort is fine.

>>2000228
Well she's already a little plump. And she's a little transparent and her belly has gotten darker. Should I go ahead and put her into the fry trap until she gives birth?

>>2000235
Probably a good idea, yeah. If she's left out she might get hassled by the males and end up miscarrying.

>>2000072
Seconding the idea to avoid hornwort. It takes up too much nutrients to be kept with most other plants and any broken off parts can survive as extra plants which means super fast reproduction.

You could do full amazon sword in your large tank as well as regular sized baby's tears if you want, either make sure lots of light gets to them if you're trying for carpeting as cabomba can get pretty bushy.

> Reticulated Hillstream Loach
Awesome fish to mix with the corries. Will look really cool doing the tiny manta thing.

All Platy types are livebearers. Avoid livebearers them due to easy overpopulation and tank crowding risks. You'll probably end up buying pregnant females which then give birth and you know the rest. Same problem with guppies and Swordtails.

Alternatives:
Marbled Hatchetfish (8 or more): some color for the mid-top area of the tank!
Congo Tetra or Bleeding Heart Tetra (5 or more): can't go wrong with more tetras.
Neon Rainbowfish (5 or more): Smallest rainbowfish, but still colorful once fully grown.

Be careful of freshwater clams. Strain or boil discarded tank water before pouring it down the drain in order to prevent introducing them to the wild. Past that they are lovely and I was considering getting them myself at one point. Sadly, they're invasive where I live which made me decide against it.

10 corycats should work out fine. I currently have 9 and they're very content. In fact, I had one female spawn for me yesterday! More on that here:
>>1999653

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Wew, my Pearl is finally starting to take NLS sinking pellets. It's perfect because he's still too much of a sissy to come up to the surface with my fingers close, and the pellets sink right in front of him on the bottom.

Two more weeks until he's out of quarantine and in the main tank! Wonder how he's going to react to all the shrimp there... Speaking of which, I've experienced two shrimp deaths since I stopped dosing Excel. One was the first juvenile death I've seen, hanging to the filter intake mesh. The other was an adult that appeared to have trouble molting. Can't be water hardness and lack of calcium, because I'm seeing tons of perfectly molted shells across the tank. Hopefully the random deaths stop for another couple of weeks, and then I'll know for sure it was the Excel

Also lol at this captcha

>>2000354
thanks for the tips mate, think ill go with the hatchets. luckily there is no freshwater habitat on my island for the clams, so its not a worry.

>>2000072
I'm going to advise against the clams. They're boring as hell and when they die they decompose super quickly and can basically kill off tanks. Like in a letter of hours. And you can't tell if they are dead or not. I don't know if they are enough to kill off a tank your size but its something you should be aware of.


Ditch the neons and get cardinals. They're heartier due to less inbreeding and are prettier imo


As personal opinion, I think you should ditch the live bearers as they are filthy and breed nonstop. Catching fry I'm a tank that big is going to suck too. I'd recommend getting a predator but it would eat your other small fish.

Beef up the schools, you've got the room!

>>2000479
>clams
>boring
haha alright. I guess i could make the schools bigger, this is just gonna be my starting point though.

>>2000485
Seriously though, I'd avoid clams if I were you. They're going to up and die one night, and you'll have to flush ammonia-poisoned schools of fish for days.

>>2000486
alright i wont, i just don't like clams

>>2000487
whoops, i meant to say i like clams

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People who have Java Fern what do you usually do with the sprouts that come off the top of the leaves?

Should I clip them off and try planting them elsewhere? Will the roots grab on to the wood?

Don't want them blowing all around my tank.

I'm guessing in the wild they would naturally break off.

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So I've had my tank almost a year now any I always get this ugly grey fur stuff over my moss.

What is it? It seems to be killing the miss slowly too. I've never had success with moss in this tank, meanwhile in my shrimp tank my moss is green and lush with no grey fur. Every time I transfer some moss to my main tank it starts looking terrible and gets this grey dirty fur over it and starts to die.

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My dumb clusterfuck of a tank. It was blackwater a while ago but random plants happened.

My danio's are greedy fatasses. They eat so fast and so much till they look like they are pregnant and my other fish struggle to keep up.

>>2000382
Lel feesh.

I should take a video of my pearls eating out of my hand to make you jealous.

>>2000509
Woah, what kind of wood is that?

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I LOVE HARLEQUIN RASBERRIES

>>2000511

Spiderwood of some sort.

>>2000514
That's cool looking. I like it.

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>>2000516
Some good pieces can look really amazing with the right scaping.

>>2000519
Stop posting aquariums that make me think mine looks like shit, I've spent enough money already rescaping 4 times in 6 months.

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>>2000513
>Harley Quinn raspberries

Guys i got 5 Danio Margariatus about 10 blue pearl shrimps in a 8 gallon tank (30 liters) do you think i can fit anything more in? i got some snails too and fuck loads of plants.

>>2000508
Shrimp could very well just be eating it before it manages to establish its self

>>1998626

Plecos have taken over stretches of the bayous in Houston and nobody knows quite what to do with them.

I've heard that they're delicious, though.

>>2000072
I think you should get more of a single type of fish, get 2 like 20 fish schools and get 10 of the same corys,

>>2000072
Get larger schools of the same fish. Too many different kinds will be so ugly and messy. 20 or 30 fish schools of the same species will look really cool.

I recently moved my betta into a 5 gallon from a 3 gallon aquaponics tank. He seems happy and the water is waaaay cleaner, but he doesn't seem hungry at all. With the tank, I bought some flake food that he's not interested at all, and I've tried giving him a little bit of the pellet food he's always known, but he's barely touching that.

I know the flakes are new and he probably just doesn't recognize it as food, but his lack of interest in the pellets bother me too. He used to eat 3-7 pellets every other day, but know I seen him eat that much in a week. Any thoughts?

If it matters, he's the only fish in the tank. He's also got a case of fin rot. I'm starting the treatment of aquarium salt tonight

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>>1998165
Platy anon here.
I put the gal in the fry trap, her bellies a little swollen and she was resting at the bottom of the tank sk I figured she must be close.

She ain't too happy about being in there though.

Also a few snails have appeared in my tank, I can't tell if they're pests or the good kind

>>2000935
>Also a few snails have appeared in my tank, I can't tell if they're pests or the good kind
Google "pond snails." If your snails don't look like those, you're good to go.

How often to fish school with other species? I have a whole mess of Zebra Danios and a single bala shark who's two other buddies died.

Will the bala school with the Danios?

I have seen the Bala hanging out with the danios more now that he is the only bala in the tank but it just seems to be around feeding time.

>>2000938
I looked, can't really tell cause they're small but they are similar looking. There's at least 9 of them in there that I've counted so far. First one appeared no later than a week ago.

>>1999315
I got the cube size of that decoration, my fish love it.

>>2000508
That looks like some kind of mold.

>>2000943
> Small, fast-appearing
Probably ramshorns. Get an assassin snail.

>>1999338

No. Your aquarium's temperature won't change if you're watching it.

>>1999894

Is that bait? Wtf?

>>1998398
definatly get him some freinds. cories do much better in groups

>>1999174
i dont think thats a cory

>>2001040
Actually one is twice the size of the others, probably because he was eating the zucchini I had out for the Chinese algae eater. But he seems akin to the pond snail.

Also I'm taking an aquatic science course and the teacher there said that snails can be healthy for the tank, and they eat detritus and whatnot. So now I'm really only worried about how large their population has grown on such short notice, will an assassin snail regulate the population without eradicating all the snails?

>>2001150

Ugh.
Yes. Snails /can/ be beneficial for the tank in the same way that algae can "soak up extra nutrients".

No. Most assassin snails will only go after snails around their own size. As they grow, they'll be less and less likely to target the newly hatched snails.

Loaches will do the work better and faster.

>>2001155
Alright, should I get a clown or kuhli loach. Plus the man has a degree in marine biology.

>make a dedicated RCS tank
>shrimp seem to die off slowly and never breed despite living in a java-mossy paradise full of hiding places to fuck
>move all of them to another tank full of potential predators
>shrimp babbies everywhere, with several shrimp preggers at any given time

I don't get it but OK

The sad part is that they swam freely in the shrimp tank but in this tank they mostly stay grounded. Black neons will snap at them otherwise :(

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The anubias I bought a couple of years ago is about to bloom for the first time. I was worried it wouldn't happen.

I am so ready for this.

>>2001185
My Tiger Lotus is finally sending a shoot up to the surface after like being planted for almost 2-3 months too!

>>2001178
I'm convinced you need to abuse your shrimp and treat them like shit for them to thrive. That's been the case for my RCS too

>>2001168
Don't get clowns unless you have a very large tank to support them. Kuhlis don't really eat snails. What size is your tank? You could try Zebra or Yoyo Loaches

>>2001168
>>2001188
I have seen my kuhlis go after snails, and there's a boneyard of shells right next to the loaches' favorite hiding spot. But my loaches are really bold, I don't think this is common behavior for them judging from what I've seen on forums. Either that, or they do it when their owners aren't watching, since they can be pretty secretive.

I got that Diana Walstad ebook, Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. I read it a couple of weeks ago, and it was pretty interesting and informative.

I would like to share it with you guys, but I don't know how. I don't want to torrent. I don't know what's a good Rapidshit-like site to host it, I'm a bit out of touch with that scene. Any ideas? Would love to share it with you guys. Possibly email it to someone who can share it in my stead.

>>2001192
>>2001188
It's 55 gallons. Rocky bottom, lots of plants, plenty of free swimming space above the plants, one driftwood and one huge rock/brick.

I'll look at the loaches suggested, but I'll get at least one assassin snail. Been wanting a pleco too and some fish that would swim around the plants, but I don't want to overcrowd the tank.

>>2001188
It's almost like RCS are thinking "shit man we're going to go extinct in this shithole if we don't start breeding".

I actually wonder if there's any truth to that, if environmental pressure paradoxically causes them (or other organisms of the world) to reproduce at a faster rate than they would in a safe environment.

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>>2001185
>buy anubias
>dies within a few days
>shitty crypts that aren't even plated right still alive after almost a year

>>2001193
mediafire
or you could do it in dropbox or google drive

I'd really appreciate that, I've been meaning to read that book! If you want my email I don't mind doing it.

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One of my bettas gets so pissed off at snails, but only when sitting on the glass and not moving. It's hilarious.

>>2001193
I don't know about /an/ but /tg/ supports uploading .pdfs instead of images?

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>>2001279
Oh, and since I'm here. Here's a comparison shot of when I brought him home in April to a few days ago. It's amazing what good food and water quality can do. I've never medicated his fin rot. He's still got a bit to go before he's fully filled out, but he looks so much better.

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>>2001283
Excuse the tannins.

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>>2001285

>>2000072
don't get hillstreams unless you are actually doing a hillstream setup. they have very special needs and come from very special habitats.

>>2001287
>they have very special needs
nope
>and come from very special habitats.
just like every other fish does.

>>2001287
>>2001292
Yeah, I've kept mine in perfectly normal tanks and they do fine. They need a lot more oxygen than most fish, but if your oxygen levels are so low they're suffocating you're doing something wrong anyway.

>>2001295
How do you tell if you have enough oxygen?

>>2001207
It's pretty hard to kill C. wendtii. If you manage that just go ahead and get out of the business of keeping any organism. You'll kill fleas.

>>2001300
Your fish will be gasping for air at the surface.

I understand that loaches are shoaling fish, so I was wondering if they could survive if there was only one of them in a tank?

>>2001211
I'll do Dropbox. Forgot about that service. Seems pretty obvious in hindsight.

Diana Walstad, Ecology of the Planted Aquarium
azw3: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lrk7xx959footwx/Ecology%20of%20the%20Planted%20Aquarium_%20A%20Practic%20-%20Diana%20Louise%20Walstad.azw3?dl=0
epub: https://www.dropbox.com/s/njn703fa8i324q2/Ecology%20of%20the%20Planted%20Aquarium_%20A%20Practic%20-%20Diana%20Louise%20Walstad.epub?dl=0
mobi: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9h9h1cmbd3bqhpm/Ecology%20of%20the%20Planted%20Aquarium_%20A%20Practic%20-%20Diana%20Louise%20Walstad.mobi?dl=0

>>2001310
It would survive, but it wouldn't be very happy.
Schooling fish become shy and are more susceptible to disease if they're kept on their own. You really should get enough for them to school.

>>2001320
Ah, I might go with a cory then

>>2001344
You mean a school of corydoras? They're also schooling fish.

>>2001344
You need 'bout five of those as well.

>>2001347
>>2001345
dang really? any bottom feeders that dont need more than 3 in a school?

>>2001355
Nerite snails, mystery snails, ghost shrimp, red cherry shrimp. But then you still need a small army of any of those to get the job done. Corys are way more active. I can't think of any singular bottom feeder that can clean up a tank just by itself.

How big is your tank? What's you're aversion to multiple corys? Some species are pretty dang small. I have five bronze corys in my 20 gallon and they do nicely.

>>2001358
Eh, I'm just scared of crowding the tank. But its like a 60 gallon, I think I'll just get some of the smaller end cories.

Prices actually seem pretty good when you buy in large numbers

>>2001355
Pleco and ancistrus are solitary, but accounts differ on how effective they are. I'd personally recommend just getting a bunch of amano shrimp. Pretty big for a shrimp, and absolutely unmatched at cleaning up algae and fish shit.

>>1999361
how the fuck did you get a 100 gal for free

>>1999737 Don't do any livebearers as they'll crowd a tank its a fucking 100 gallon

>>2001386
not him but if you have enough friends that keep fish you're bound to end up with a pile of second-hand tanks of all sizes. Usually when someone moves in a hurry, but sometimes when people upgrade or give up the hobby.

If you know how to repair leaking old tanks then you really get more than you want.

>>1999361
a mix of cories an livebearers is a favorite of mine in a 100 gal you could keep 10 goldies

>>1999598
no

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This is one of the ugliest things I have ever seen.

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>>2001443

>>2001443
Holy shit almighty.

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Hey guys, platy anon...... again.

My three male platies have been exhibiting strange behavior. For example they're being aggressive to each other, which is possibly why the red wag is missing a portion of his tail, but I don't know for sure.

The painted platy that I assume has been the alpha male since day one has started to intimidate the other painted platy, which is something he's never done.

Also the red wag likes to stare at the female and bite the fry cage. I think he might be the father.

They were all friendly and got along real well before I put the female in the cage.

I think my fish might be into BDSM guys.

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My Pearl has new girlfriends! He's already trying to feel them through the bag right now, hope this makes them a lot less skittish

Any of you guys keep some of the more expensive shrimp? I just started a blue bolt tank. I also put in a couple of shadow pandas. Looking forward to seeing how this goes. I've only kept fire red neocaridina until now.

>>2001487
>He's already trying to feel them through the bag
Cute

>>2001485
Also just notice has some white areas on his body. Could be ich?

I think it might just be bruises cause it doesn't look like any ich I've seen before

>>1998171

I'm late on this but thought I would post anyway - I'm in Texas and we call them Bream, Bluegill, Sunfish, Sun Perch, etc. They are abundant here and legal to take from state waters and keep at home. I have one now that is going on his second year - it's maintaining a small indoor NFT system I have. I have a larger aquaponics system under construction that I plan on populating with Sunfish.

They are fairly territorial so if it is a small tank, the largest will kill everything else including other Sunfish. The bigger the tank, the more you can keep. They eat live bugs and worms well. They *will* eat cichlid pellets but not at first. If you're doing dried food, start with blood worms. After a bit, when they are used to the feeding schedule, you can drop some cichlid pellets in. They like them soft so you can either soak them first or watch them eat and then spit them out until they are to their liking. Live food is the best (like minnows) but make sure they are sized appropriately - too big and they will slowly eat away at whatever it is.

>>2001485

Do you have more males than the females? You shouldn't - I learned this the hard way. For one, they will "work" the female to death. They will nip at each other (especially in a male dominated tank) but I haven't seen what you are seeing. I want to say it got sick and couldn't run from the "nipping".

My best advice is to isolate the injured male. Then set your female-male ratio to 2-1.

>>2001487
Are those really that light colored or is that just the camera?

>>2001508
I know about the ratio thing. I originally tried to fix that but I accidentally one male one female instead of two females.

I'm giving the red wag away to a my aquatic sciences teacher tomorrow. And then I'm thinking I'll let the females fry replace the the other 3 needed females. If she doesn't produce soon I'll just go buy some more.

>>2001315
What in the fuck? This book is not even remotely what I was expecting. I was thinking the word "Ecology" was just thrown in as filler and this was just going to be a picture book of planted tanks. It's like a fucking treatise on using plants for chemical filtration. I mean it's pretty interesting, just not at all what I was expecting.

>>2001443
Oh god, my local pet store used to have a bunch of terrible setups like that.
I'm glad they went out of business, the lady running it didn't take care of the animals at all...

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Salt water master race reporting in. Pic related my Fu Manchu Lionfish (Dendrochirus biocellatus). Bad ass fish but a bitch to feed due to the fact that it needs live food until I can wean it onto frozen alternatives. None the less very cool. He shares the tank with Eibl Angelfish, an Indigo Hamlet, and a Blue Spotted Toby.

>>2001524
>Salt water master race
Aint that the truth. Fu man chu are pretty cool, i love the waving spines

>>2001524
>mixing fish from all over the fucking place
You mean plebeian race, don't you?

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does anybody know what these eggs are in my aquarium? I got all kinda of water bugs in there that came off these plants from the wild.

I want to cut them out, but it might be something cool.

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>>2001563
Nigga please. That all you got?

i got 1 ghost shrimp in a 1 quart plastic bowl. lots of plants. is it inhumane or some shit?

>>2001359
All cories stay pretty small topping out in the 2 inch range. Five or even ten won't overburden most 60 gallons depending on what else is there.

That said, they do NOT eat snails from what I've seen.

>>2001572
Definitely cut them out. It's probably bugs, you you never can be too careful. Also... why are you collecting wild plants? That's a great way to get wild parasites.

>>2001386
Also, check craigslist/you country's craigslist variant. You can find tanks, filters, airstones, decorations, even fish, for free. Like >>2001396 says, when people move they don't want to/can't bring all their fish shit with them and don't have time to sell it, but it's still too valuable for them to just throw away.

Could ask your friendly LFS too. I got a free 25 gallon display tank from them when they replaced all their shit a few years back.

>>2001386
friend was moving

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I'm looking to replace my HOB filter with a canister; would a Fluval 206 be ok for a 30 gallon tank?

>>2001633
Good rule to go by with filtration is get one rated for more than you need. I got a skimmer rated for 1000L when my total volume is about 750L.

>>2001633
Yes, though double what's on the box is always the safest bet. The rating on the box is the "best case" scenario so actual filtration is often lower.

>>2001642
Right, because the filtration material plugs up, etc.

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>>2001637
>>2001642
Ya think maybe a 306 would be better? I don't want to blow my meme tetras around the tank...

>>2001653
Yes, that's better. Also plants break currents which will help.

>>2001668
I only have one Amazon Sword that I would consider big enough to break current
What would be some other large, sturdy plants I could use?

>>2001670
The amazon sword should be enough. Just put it in the path of the filter outlet.

>>2001671
Hokay, I'll try that.

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Has anyone on /an/ kept ctenophores? M. leidyi specifically, I think?
Been thinking of turning a decent sized tank into a pseudo kreisel (is about six foot long and two wide). I've never kept any comb jelly species outside of temporary lab conditions though. Any idea if keeping them well-fed would reduce the cannibalism?
Also, I thought about having sheepshead minnows in there as an additional food source since they spawn so often, but then I remembered how nippy they are. Which, now that I think about it, is there any fish suitable for this kind of setup? Feeder guppies? Some sort of coastal fish that breeds like rabbits?
Similarly, would little porcelain crabs or something out of Panopeidae be a viable in-tank food source or would they always be hidden in whatever substrate I decide on?

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>>2001705
Why did they name it that?

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>>2001722
Because the Leidy's comb jelly can look phallic, yonic, like a trilby or anything inbetween.
Also, I didn't want to look up how to spell Mnemiopsis

>>2001705
Ctenophores are boring as fuck. Why do you want to keep them?

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Pony face loach hue.

>>2001765
Because I can get mass quantities for free and I find them pretty. Also, the tank is too narrow to put anything else I find interesting and don't already have.

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Aw shit, found 2 cherries dead this morning...

>>2001563
In all fairness I would love to set up a Caribbean reef with just fish, coral, and inverts all from that area of the Atlantic, I just need a bigger tank. This tank is fish I generally think are cool and appealing to me.

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Just bought this little guy from my lfs, paid $30 for him. Did I make out good, I can't find any info on him either

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>>2001608
I just get them out the water with a pole when i go fishing. I like wild stuff. also I'm poor.

here's another bug I found in that tank. I think it's a dragonfly nymph but those aren't dragonfly eggs. they're something else.

>>2001828
If it's a real zebra plec, then you did great, they're about £150 here

>>2001633
Give some foam filters a shot.
No point having to replace piles of consumables if you can avoid it

>>1999748
use pool filter sand, its easy to clean and cost about $15 us dollars for 50 lbs

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my Java moss has taken over my 75 gallon half fill, it feels like a waste to just throw it out. Is there a market for Java moss? and if so how much does it sell for?

>>2001942
Yes, there's a market for Java moss. It's cheap, however, because it grows fast. Something like $2 a cup or less seems about right. If you have no snails in your tank, say so as it's a bonus.

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Hey familia do any of you know what this is? Found a few of these on the bottom of my tank. Took one out and lightly touched it and it turned to clear mush

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>>2001951
the only thing in this tank is a snapping turtle

>>2001958
> Snapping turtle
Just mention you have only a turtle in your tank (some people are paranoid about turtles due to salmonella) and no snails and that should be fine. Ebay or Craisglist should work. If using Ebay use the fastest shipping you can, remove as much water as possible and insulate against cold.

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Got this bright yellow magnifica last week, goddamn beautiful animal. About 15cm fully open. Gave it some shrimp last night and even the gods couldnt have pried it from the tentacles grip

>>2001958
you really should give it a basking spot.

How long will five pygmy cries be able to survive in a ten gallon quarantine tank?

>>2001993
Normally the rocks in the back are dry, but I over filled his tank this afternoon when he got his weekly water change

>>2002006
> 5 pygmy corries, 10 gallons
Forever. They don't need much space so 10 gallons with a good filter and a couple plants = happy tiny fish.

Good news! My Cory eggs hatched! bad news... now how do I change the water and clean up the spent eggs without losing any babies? They're so tiny it's not even funny.

I already am planning on feeding them on cooked mashed up egg and peas as a first food (mashed into fine yellow/green liquid). Just trying to figure out clean up on the tiny dudes.

>>2002097
Siphon the water in their tank with airline tubing. The end should be wrapped with some fine mesh like panty hose or fine filter media bags.

>>2002102
> Wrapping the end
Just making sure, but you mean the end going into the tank, right? Would that prevent the dud eggs and spent shells from getting sucked up?

>>2002103
Yes, the end going into the tank. Though if you want, you can siphon out the dead eggs and shells with a pipette.

>>2001985
Do those guys sting ?

>>2002109
Thanks!

>>2002093
That's just my quarantine tank. If that's all they need to be happy, then they are going to be joyous once they get into the main tank


Didn't get pygmy tho, I got one false julii, two albinos, and two emerald greens.

>>2002124
> two of each
You really should upgrade to 5 of each to make sure they're happy. Cories can tell the difference between different breeds and are happiest when around their own breed.

The only exception is for then a breed has multiple color morphs like Albino/Copper/Green where they eventually notice they're the same despite color differences and will shoal together. Now if only humans could be this tolerant.

>>2002127
I was told it wouldn't matter. Hopefully they'll group together, don't really want 15 cories

>>2002130
It really doesn't matter unless someone is a perfectionist fish snob. Cories in the wild swim together is massive schools, so that is what they are used to, however being in pairs isn't going to kill them unless scientific research suggests otherwise.

>>2002130
Well, albino and green are actually the same species so get one more albino or green and they're good. As to the false Julii, just get four more. That's only 5 more cories to make them all happy.

>>2002133
I actually started with just a pair of cories: one copper, two peppered. They spent most of their time on opposite sides of the tank rarely swimming together and weren't in the best health. One peppered even up and died one day even though my water was spot-on and she showed no signs of illness!

Now I have five copper/albino and 5 peppered I see each kind generally sticking together although they will peacefully swim side by side regardless of species. Their health has improved and they seem happier. They even spawned for me! Only very happy fish spawn so that's a wonderful sign.

>>2002135
>>2002133
I got the false julii because he was the only one of his kind in the tank and everyone else died. He's tiny so I felt really bad for him.

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Any thoughts or suggestions about my new tank? It's been set up for a few weeks now after a fish less cycle . I don't know what plants they are but would like to know . Any ideas about what I can add ? Plants , fish decorations etc. been thinking about snails but heard they can become a pest

>>2002141
Well, I would suggest just hanging on to him and keeping and eye out at nearby shops. Many shops get extra stock this time of year so a call around might turn up more false juliis or you might be able to order some or get them to call you when some come in.

>>2002144
Size of tank, filtration (max filtration as said on box), substrate...?

>>2002146
20 litre tank
filter 200lph suitable for 20-40 litre aquarium
binned the filter it came with , still using the substrate it came with , not sure what the best option is for biological reasons and plants.

>>2002146
The green emerald are actually hanging around the false julii, and I think all the other pet stores that weren't petco went out of business here when the recession hit, but I'll check

>>2001956
and it kind of looks like styrofoam

>>2002110
Yeah man. Dont let it touch your tender skin like forearm

>>2002127
>Now if only humans could be this tolerant.

Albino power, Copper/Green cories GET OUT

>>2002189
Absolutely disgusting. There is no animal that looks good albino and very few that look good leucistic: Elk and Lobsters being among them.

This thread has reached bump limit. Check new thread for replies or repost questions there:
>>2002239

>>2002144
I'm not gonna say that looks good...

Are all the plants fake, or just the one on the left?
Do you have an airstone? Doesn't look like you have much surface agitation.

What fish could I keep in a small tank (10 gal) that needs low maintenance that isn't a beta or goldfish?

>>2002521
>not a betta
Look into shrimp.

>>2002330
just the one on the left , did have an airstone but the noise from the pump drove me nuts

>>2002750
Try hiding your pump in a closet or something, and just use a long air tube.

>>1999588

fastwater betta right here;

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/betta-pugnax/